Blogs

Save the date because on March 21 through 23, U Village will be the place to shop hard for a great cause. For the last 10 years, U Village merchants have teamed up with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research to support women’s cancer treatment research by offering screaming deals to shoppers over the Shop & Dine To Make a Difference weekend.

I sure know a lot more about Tom Dixon since his appearance last Saturday at Inform Interiors (as do the other 280 or so attendees). For instance, he’s noodling around on the guitar again (in his youth, he played bass in a rock band). The reasoning behind his sowing an underwater furniture farm in the Bahamas (to grow furniture, naturally).

Must Go EastKathy Venter’s Striking Nude Sculptures on View at Bellevue Arts Museum(3/7 to 6/15, times vary) — Based on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, ceramist Kathy Venter crafts life-size nudes out of terracotta, hand-pinching it from feet to head without a mold or interior framework. Inspired by Venter’s own experiences of womanhood, the works take their place in the canon of artistic takes on the female nude.

A good new bar is always exciting, but a new bar from Bryn Lumsden is at least five levels above exciting! Not only was he past bar manager of the legendary Rob Roy (as well as making drinks at spots like the sadly departed Vessel and others during the last ten years), but he was also named one of Seattle magazine's Happiest Happy Hour bartenders.

It’s been a great run for Eli Dahlin. He’s been the chef de cuisine at Renee Erickson's The Walrus and the Carpenter since it opened back in August 2010 —part of an integral crew that helped catapult the Ballard oyster bar into a nationally recognized restaurant.

Eastlake Teriyaki, the more casual lunchtime offspring of Blind Pig Bistro, served its final meal yesterday. Demolition has officially begun to transform the tiny strip mall storefront into a 23 seat bar that's attached to Blind Pig. It’s been the plan since owners Charles Walpole and Rene Gutierrez took over the space last July.

In November, I moved from Wedgwood to Mount Baker, city-side near Massachusetts Ave. I moved for many reasons—to be closer to work and in a more urban setting, near better transit options and with great walkability, and, yes, for a more diverse experience. Among other things, I wanted to live somewhere where everyone did not look or live like me—and to be stretched and enriched by these new relationships. My husband and I focused our home search mostly in the Central District, and by chance, landed further south.

He left Ray’s on Tuesday and now, after nearly 30 years, chef Wayne Johnson is taking a much needed (and deserved) break from the restaurant industry. And don’t even think about asking him what’s next. He's not planning a damn thing.
I met up for coffee with the completely relaxed and happy looking chef this afternoon near his home in West Seattle. Because, you know, he has time to do that sort of stuff now.

Must RockSeattle musician Ayron Jones Opens for B.B. KingMonday (3/3, 7:30 p.m.) — Like the very best rock ’n’ rollers, emerging Seattle musician Ayron Jones seems just slightly unhinged when he performs his own blend of blues and grunge. Witness Jones live at The Moore Theater when he opens for blues legend B.B. King.

Spring officially hits on March 20, which means we’re mere moments away from balmier weather. Get your winter self into shape for the skimpier season with this promotion from three local body-beautiful businesses.

On March 7, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission is releasing Others Like Us (OLU), the charitable organization’s first-ever apparel collection intended to bring a more human face to the issue of homelessness in our city.